A Brief Evolution of Underwear

Take a peek at how your unmentionables have changed through the years.

5000 BC: Loincloths
Worn by cavemen and pharaohs alike, the loincloth is the longest-existing style of underwear, comprised only of a piece of fabric wrapped around the hips and through the legs. For a more of a luxurious take on the modest garment, the upperclass wore silk versions.

Middle Ages: Chemises
Not unlike slips worn today, the chemise was a long, flimsy undergarment worn under dresses. The gossamer chemises worn by the mythological figures in Botticelli's 1477 painting Primavera are a more ethereal version of the practical, modest versions everyday women wore.

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Renaissance: Corsets
The rising popularity of corsets in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries caused Western women to start suffering for fashion, as the lace-up bodices cinched their waists and flattened their chests. This painful trend remained popular all the way up to the beginning of the twentieth century.

1830: Petticoats
Lavish fashions of the 1800s introduced a number of new undergarment accessories for women, including the crinoline petticoat — an under-skirt cage worn to create a bell shape. While the result was a charming Scarlett O'Hara look, we can't imagine how uncomfortable it must have been to sit while wearing one of these contraptions.

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1870: Pantaloons
Near the end of the nineteenth century, rising hemlines meant that women had to cover up in different ways. Introducing, pantaloons: Long, baggy trousers worn under skirts and dresses so that despite shorter skirt lengths, risqué calves and ankles remained concealed.

1920s: Lingerie
While most of the attention may have gone to their bobbed hair and short skirts, flappers also introduced a new style in underwear — lingerie. Previously plain and white, undergarments became decorative and less modest as they were worn under trendy short dresses.

1930s: Girdles
Although stiff corsets remained a thing of the past, women in the 1930s still embraced a bit of shapewear. Flattening the stomach and extending over the thighs, girdles create a small-waisted silhouette without any of the dangerous constrictions of corsets.

1950s: Bikini Briefs
Named after an island in the Pacific Ocean, the bikini grew to be a popular style of underwear that remains a favorite today. Thanks to the development of rayon and spandex, intimates became comfortable and cute, unlike the plain, industrial undergarments worn for centuries before.

1980s: Thongs
First gaining popularity in South America, thongs became a favorite in the United States in the late 1980s. Composed of a triangular piece of fabric and strings, the risqué underthings show an eerie resemblance to the original loincloths — perhaps underwear hasn't changed that much at all.

1990s: Miracle Bra
Victoria's Secret, the largest American lingerie retailer, introduced the Miracle Bra, selling 2 million in its first year. The brand also started their annual fashion show in 1995, establishing lingerie as an outlet for entertainment.

2000s: Spanx
Founded in 2000, Spanx was introduced originally as a pantyhose company, before becoming a modern shapewear staple, grossing over $250 million in annual revenues.

Present: Underwear as Outerwear
Taking cue from Madonna in the 1980s, the line between outerwear and underwear has been blurred as more women embrace the trend of showing off their lingerie rather than keeping it under wraps.